Means for the continuous processing of comestibles



Dec. 22, 1959 M. BAINBRIDGE vMEANS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PROCESSING OFCOMESTIBLES Filed July 50, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

L4/mm mae/@ys Dec. 22, 1959 v M BAlNBRlDGE 2,917,989

MEANS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PROCESSING OF COMESTIBLES Filed July 50, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 2 .using a batch process. considerably more labo'r `and@anion-uniform product^-re 1vsults vin ythat the 'drained weights'lare'fnot uniform "even fwhen obtained .from the fsa'me batch tkettle.v-consistent drained -weights'are'rcaused :bytle crushed -provideimproved fme'an's and techniq United States Patent) 2,911,989 MEANS FORTHE CoNTnsUop'stPRocEs'siG F'COMESTIBLES Marvin Bainbridge,KahuluiyHawaii, assgnor to Maui Pineapple Company, Ltd., JKahului,-Maui,Hawaii, a corporation of Hawaii vApplication Julyso, 1956,7se'rn1-No.'6o1,os6 7 claims. (cl. 19943,56)

'The present invention Yrelates *to* the"v continuous Aprocessing ofcomestibles, vand `particularly to'the continuous Aprocessing andvcanning 4of crushed pineapple.

In yaccordance with the prior art, `it Yis the general fpractice toprocess crushed Vpineapple in 'steamjacketedk'ettlles Such batchfprocess requires `The -inpineapple solids tending to separateAfron'1`l1`tsjp'ac'king ymedium, even Awith agitation, with 1theresultwthat t-he`frst portion vpacked from each batch contains-morelquid `than theY final portion.

Even with the most accurate arrangementforfmanual control, there-is aconsiderable variation in the :density of Ithe rfood products going ftothe illing machines.

This rvariation is retlectedrin `the sales appealvdf-thezproduct. Theconsumer may iind one can, when openedytoon- V-tain -a dense -heavymass, and *then find the :contents of the next can thin :andfsoupv-lniaccordancewithone feature of the presentarrangement,automaticcontiol is provided for controllin'gthe ydensity orfviscosity'f'of the comestible :going to Y'the ifillin'g machines so ias'1 to "insure, -a uniform product.

In accordance with the :present iarran'gmenn the :continuous processingmethod greatly reduces the laborn'eces- -sary for the processingoperation and iresult-s'n 37a "much more uniform vdrained iweightpack.This is'true `even though a so-called holding -kttle is lincludedin"-the"new process in which :the comestibleficontinnously.flows intothe vholding kettle at the same rate f'that it rflows ont, with the`result that separation'is'ztherefre:held to a minimum.

The present arrangement contemplates also an et-V peditious cooling ofcomestibles such as, for exaniple,

crushed pineapple, tomato. paste `or 'other comestibles usually founddiicult :to :cool "satisfactorily after canning.

An object of the present invention fis f'to prov-ide improved means andtechniques useful in the continuous processing and canning ofcomestibles.

A specific object of the. present invention iis tofprovi'de improvedmeans and techniques`for'the continuous processing of crushed pineapple.

2,917,989 ce @Patented Dec. 22, 1959 2 n fAnothersp'ecilic object of`the present"invention yis-to lprovide 'improved means -and techniquesuseful ln'iobytaining 1 proper Apr'olzsortioning of liquid -and crushed"pineapple in the cans containing the fsame. g

The :features Aoffthe -present invention which are believed'to benovel-are set forth with particularity in y'the appended claims. Thisinvention itself, both a`s Ato its organizationsand manner 'ofoperation, -together -with "furtherfobjects'andeadvantages thereof, maybe'b'est understood by reference 'to' the following description takenYin 4connection with 'the accompanying' drawings, fin which:

Figure `1V illustrates apparatus' forI "achieving features f Vthepresent invention.

VFigure -2 -s'a viev'v'in-sideelevation V-ofI a egulatr vembodyingfeatures' of the present inv'ertiouwith 'parts broken away `t`o showinternal structure.

Figure -3' is fa vtopplan view yof the`regulator illustrated in Figure2. l

The present `arrangment linvolves 'the obtainance of .properproportioning of liquid lan'dcruslied pineapple-lin fall of ythe -cans,`and'this involves first conveying the ycrushed pineapple throughfa-steam jackete'd screw-'type v-heater 10 vinto 'a revolving screen 11from 'whichf juice andV solid material issepa'ratei the juicegravitating 'onto the juice drain pan 12 and solid materialcollecting-"on 1afn inspection 'table `13,"at which inspectors, 'throughYvisual inspection, fseparate 'undesirable constituents.

The juice from .pan 12 is collected in a v*juice tank gior yreservoirv'14 ffrm which "the juice gravitates vinto 'the consistency regulator15 through fluid l-ine 14A,"but"tlie -owfofsuchjuice 'is controlled bythe 'regulator'xvalve Y 15D `ras indicated below, thev excess `juice'fromthe'tiik '14 being lallowed to"iiow, as indicated by 'tliefarrwifor vother useful purposes.

solid material, after ievnfgihe .inspecfien tabie'l's,

vis allowed vto 'gravitate into the'storage tank *11 "which visrprovidedvwith motor-driven 'agitating -r'neans '18.

The solid materialfr'oin the "storage 'tank `17 is Llelivered to theconsistency regulatorlS in vntietered amounts through the uid line 19Ausing the controlled pump-"19 in line 19A.

The consistencyregulatr '1'5 receives -lso cont-rolled or'meteredamounts o'f vsyrup -iroin 'the syrup t`a'1"1k-"2`0 through the `uid line21A using the controlled p'inp'fl in line 21A. j.

The consistency regulator'lS shown yin Figures-'2 and 3 'is a so-calledyDe'su'rik Automatic Consistency vRegulatc'ir manufactured byFood-Machinery Corp. and includes three agitatorpaddlesrotating -in 'anopen topftarik 15A Vand driven 'by -a small motor through "reductionfgea'rs. lThe motor with th'e'ge'aringis not fastened to the Mbase l butis carried on its own'shaft 'in ball bearings.vr With every change inthe'density lof vthe food or comestible "e'ntering the regulator, there'is `a corresponding change `in the power or 'torque requred'to turn theagitator. This change in torque is transmitted from a motor frame to apilot valve 15B. The pilot valve controls the iiow of a smallquantity'of clear waterto Veither end of a lhydraulic cylinder 15 Ctoincrea'se or decrease "the opening in a dilutionjliquid control valve15D. The consistency regulator 1'5 using the vafroretne'ntioned clearwater in cylinder `15Cto control the vfalve 15D forms, perse, no'p'artofthe presentinvention. 4'Clear water may be used "instead'of oil orother lliuid to control the valve 15D since any leakage 'of water intothe tank will have no detrimental Ieffect. The amount of dilution liquidor juice entering fthe regulator through thefvalve 15D is thusautomatically "adjusted to bring the food mixture to the correctdesireddensity. The food flows out of the regulatin'g'chamber overa darnstructure 15Ea`nd leaves the machine throughthe outlet "15P 'at thebottom. lWhenit is desired tofchaigetlio consistency of the produ'ctleaving the regulator, such adjustment may be accomplished by turning athumbscrew 15G to increase or decrease the tension of a torque spring15H. An indicator 15]' is provided to indicate the amount by which thedilution valve 15D is open; and a switch 15K is provided to turnV on awarning light or ring a bell if the density of the incoming food becomestoo thin for proper regulation. Y

The juice, syrup and solid material thus delivered to the consistencyregulator 15 are thoroughly mixedv therein, and the resulting mixture isdelivered 'in controlled metered amounts through line 22A, using thecontrolled pump 22 in line 22A, to the double cylinder heat exchanger 23wherein the mixture is heated.

After heating inthe heat exchanger 23, the mixture is delivered to theholding kettle 25, whichv includes mixture level determining means inthe form of a iioat 27, the float 27, of course, rising and falling withthe mixture level in the holding kettle. The mixture in the holdingkettle 25 lis supplied to open cans at the ller station 28. The filledcans, after leaving the filler station 28, are transferred to the lidderor can closing station 29.

It is noted that the rate at which the mixture enters the holding kettle25 is substantially equal to the rate at which the mixture leaves theholding kettle 25, this being kassured by the oat operated mechanisminvolving oat 27, which serves to control the speed of theaforementioned pumps 19 21 and 22 through a selsyn motor control.

Thus, the three pumps 19, 21 and 22 are each driven by a common motor 30through suitable gear box 32 and chains 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38, andassociated sprockets which have proper diameters, i.e., speed ratios, toassure the resired proportions of solid material, juice and syrup.

The speed of the motor 30 is controlled by conventional motor speedcontrol 40 which, in turn, is controlled through a selsyn systeminvolving the selsyn elements 42 and 43, in accordance with the positionof the oat 27. When, of course, the float 27 is stationary at apredetermined level which corresponds to a condition where no materialows out of the kettle 25, the speed of the motor 30 is reduced to zeroto thereby interrupt all' ow of solid material, juice and syrup to theconsistency regulator tank 15.

The filled cans, after being lidded by the can closing machine 29, i.e.,lidder, are transferred to a can washer and sterilizer 46 which vservestwo purposes, namely, first, to wash the cans, and, second, to sterilizethe'cansV using a water bath of 212 F. for approximately thirty seconds.The primary function of the washer and sterilizer 46 is to sterilize theinside seams and laps of the container by penetration of heat from theoutside 212 F. water bath.

The cans, after leaving the washer and sterilizer 46, are subjected totwo successive stages of cooling, iirst, in the cooler 48 and then inthe cooler 49. The cooler 4S is supplied with cooling water ofapproximately 75 F. and is of larger capacity than the succeeding cooler49 which is supplied with water of approximately 33 F., the waterleaving at approximately 37 F. and being circulated through evaporatorplates 50 associated with a refrigerating system 52.

The cooler 48 has a can capacity of 638 while the other cooler 49 has a308 can capacity.

In accordance with prior practice, it is usual to cool the cans byexposing them to free moving airv for approximately twenty-four hoursbefore stacking or casing, or sometimes a combination ofpreliminarywater cooling and air cooling is used. Such prior art methods result indouble handling of the cans and produce a product that often times hasthe appearance of being overcooked.

. It is readily appreciated that such a product held at elevatedtemperatures for as long as twenty-four hours darkens in color andacquires an objectionable aged avor. in accordance with the presentarrangement, a holding conveyor 54 is provided in combination with theother cooling means to provide time for a can to stop sweating before itis dried. At the instant a can leaves the chilled water cooler 49, theextreme outside of the container has a temperature of approximately 35F. While the center of the container is approximately 135 F., giving anaverage temperature of approximately 95 F. The cold exterior of the cancauses moisture from the surrounding air to condense on the can untilsuch time that the exterior temperature of the can is raised above thedewpoint temperature. Since the dew-point temperature varies with theatmospheric temperature and relative humidity, the temperature at whichthe container stops sweating is dependent upon these factors.

It has been found that in ten to fifteen minutes under normalconditions, the can stops sweating, i.e., noticeable condensationceases; but to take care of exceptional humid days, twenty to thirtyminutes are allowed for a can to remain on the holding conveyor 54before it is subjected to the can drier 55 which provides an air blastfor drying the cans in their passage therethrough before beingtransferred to the can palletizer 56. The cans, of No. l0 size enter thepalletizer 56 `at the rate of twenty per minute, cooled to a temperatureof approximately F.

The pumps 19 and 22 are identical 21/2 size pumps, the pump 19 normallyrotating between the limits of 34 to 68 r.p.m. while the pumpV 22normally runs at a speed between vthe limits of 57 to 114 r.p.m. Thepump 21 is a 11/2" pump normally running between the limits of 162 to324 r.p.m.

The motor 30 normally runs within the speed limits of 198 to 396 r.p.m.,and the control 40 may be of the hydraulic type which provides variablespeed control of the motor 30.

It is noted that the holding kettle 25 is provided with an agitator, andthe mixture at approximately 200 F. is maintained therein forapproximately a three minute sterilizing time.

Preferably, the crushed pineapple supplied to the conveyor 10 ispreheated to facilitate eventual drainage of the juice in the revolvingscreen 11.

It is noted that the steam jacketed screw-type heating conveyor 10 ispreferred for heavy drained weight crushed pineapple and may or may notbe used as desired for regular drained weight or grocery crushedpineapple.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have beenshown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and moditcations may be made without departing from this i11-vention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appendedclaims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within thetrue spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

l. In a comestible handling system ofthe character described forhandling comestibles which consist of solid material and juice, meansseparating said solid material from said juice, first storage means forsaid solid material, second storage means for said juice, a mixingvessel receiving both solid material and juice from respectively saidtirst and second storage means and for producing a consistent mixture ofsaid juice and solid material, a mixture, reservoir receiving saidmixture from said vessel, means controlling the flow of solid materialfrom said rst storage means to said vessel, means controlling the rateof iiowof said mixture from said vessel to said reservoir, meansautomatically responsive to the amount of mixture in said reservoir forcontrollingv thetrst and second-mentioned controlling means. Y

2. In a system of the character described forhandling a comestible ofthe type consisting of juice and solid material, rst means separatingsaid juice from said solid material, means in communication with saidfirst means for combining said material and said juice in controlledamounts to provide a mixture of the same, metering means between saidfirst means and said combining means for controlling the ow of juicesand solid material to said combining means, a mixture receiving kettlein communication with said combining means, and oat operated meansassociated with said kettle for controlling said metering means.

3. In a system of the character described for handling a comestiblewhich consists of juice and solid material, means preheating saidcomestible to facilitate the separation of juice and solid material,means receiving-the comestible from the last-mentioned means forseparating the juice from said solid material, irst storage meansreceiving said solid material, second storage means receiving saidjuice, mixing means receiving said solid material and said juice fromrespectively said irst and second storage means and functioning toprovide a uniform mixture of the juice and solid material, first pumpmeans controlling the ilow of solid material from said first storagemeans to said receiving means, a mixture reservoir receiving saidmixture from said mixing means, second pump means controlling the flowof mixture from said mixing means to said reservoir, and means operatedin response to the amount of mixture in said reservoir for jointlycontrolling the operation of the first and secondmentioned pump means.

4. An arrangement as set forth in claim 3 in which heat exchange meansis provided to heat the mixture in its flow from said mixing means tosaid reservoir.

5. In a system of the character described for handling a comestiblewhich consists of solid material and juice, means separating said solidmaterial from said juice, a first reservoir for receiving said solidmaterial, a second reservoir for receiving said juice, a vessel incommunication with said iirst and second reservoirs, means controllingthe consistency of the mixture of said juice and said solid material insaid vessel, a third reservoir receiving said mixture from said vessel,means controlling the ow of mixture from said vessel to said thirdreservoir, and liquid level determining means associated with said thirdreservoir for controlling the rst and second-mentioned controllingmeans.

6. In a comestible handling system of the character described, ascrew-type heating conveyor for conveying a comestible, a screenreceiving said comestible from said conveyor and functioning to separatejuice fromd solid material of said comestible, a juice tank receivingsaid juice, a storage tank lreceiving said solid material, a syrup tankcontaining syrup, a common mixing vessel receiving said juice, solidmaterial and said syrup to prepare a consistent mixture of the same, aholding kettle receiving said mixture, first pump means controlling theflow of solid material from said storage tank to said vessel, secondpump means controlling the dow of syrup from said syrup tank to saidvessel, third pump means controlling the flow of mixture from saidvessel to said kettle, means driving said first, second and third pumpin synchronism, and float operated means associated with said kettle forcontrolling the last men-tioned means.

7. In a comestible handling system of the character described, a screenreceiving the comestible and functioning to separate juice from solidmaterial 0f said comestible, a juice tank receiving said juice, astorage tank receiving said solid material, a syrup tank containingsyrup, a common mixing vessel receiving said juice, solid material andsaid syrup to prepare a consistent mixture of the same, a holding kettlereceiving said mixture, first pump means controlling the ow of solidmaterial from said storage tank to said vessel, second pump meanscontrolling the ow of syrup from said syrup tank to said vessel, thirdpump means controlling the flow of mixture from said vessel to saidkettle, means driving said first, second and third pump in synchronism,and oat operated means associated with said kettle for controlling thelast mentioned means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,253,383 Lloyd et al. Aug. 19, 1941 2,498,836 Cross Feb. 28, 19502,510,679 Bruce June 6, 1950 2,665,628 Boileau et al. Jan. 12, 19542,677,248 Rexford et a1 May 9, 1954

